Thursday, September 22, 2011

Blue Sky Thinking

Images above and below from http://supergraphicstratergies.wordpress.com/

I am quite in love with 1970s interiors at the moment. I have been finding 70s interior design magazine here and there on my op-shopping travels and rather than being slightly alarmed and revolted by the 70s as people now tend to be, I find them quite inspiring. I was thinking about this last night as I flicked through the 1973 edition of Simplicity's Sew-it-all for the Home. What is it that I love about these rooms? Am I simply being wooed by familiarity since I am a child of the 70s? No, I realised that I love the way they used colour and pattern with complete abandon. And, surprisingly, not (often) to bad effect. The rooms are warm, interesting, inviting and full of life. No restrained minimalist whites and greys here. Oh no. The repeated use of one colour or one pattern in a room is especially great.

Image from http://houseofhackney.com

Image from http://supergraphicstratergies.wordpress.com/

Image from http://weloveit.com

Image from http://britishblogs.co.uk [though I don't think this room is a 70s original]

In this clip from Supersizers go: Seventies, Giles and Sue talk about exactly this idea in relation to 70s food - there was a sort of wonderful exuberance to it but an endearing, characterful exuberance, not the ugly excess of the 80s.

We are enjoying some exuberant weather here at the moment with bright sunshine, clear blue skies and soothing warm sun (as well as quite fierce gusts of spring wind). For some reason, it put me in mind of this cheerful song...from the 70s.